Mobile Users Are Spending More Time in Pokémon GO Than Facebook

Key insights

5 takeaways

01
As of July 11, 2016, the average iPhone user spent 33 minutes per day in Pokémon GO, surpassing the daily engagement time of Facebook (22 minutes) and Snapchat (18 minutes).
02
Pokémon GO reached 15 million total installs across the App Store and Google Play shortly after its U.S. launch.
03
While Pokémon GO outperformed major social media platforms in daily engagement, it trailed other mobile gaming titles, such as Game of War (nearly 2 hours) and Candy Crush Saga (43 minutes).
04
The viral game Slither.io saw an average daily usage of approximately 10 minutes per user during the same period.
05
The rapid adoption and high engagement levels of Pokémon GO have significantly impacted Nintendo's market valuation and overall mobile industry metrics.

Summary

The rapid adoption of Pokémon GO in July 2016 demonstrated significant shifts in mobile user engagement patterns. By analyzing proprietary usage data from the U.S. App Store, the assessment highlights the app’s ability to capture substantial daily time from users, effectively outperforming major social media platforms and viral mobile games shortly after its launch.

On July 11, 2016, the average iPhone user spent 33 minutes in Pokémon GO. This engagement level surpassed several prominent social applications, including Facebook, which saw 22 minutes of average daily usage, and Snapchat, which recorded 18 minutes. Compared to other popular mobile games, Pokémon GO also showed strong performance, though it remained behind established titles like Candy Crush Saga, which averaged 43 minutes, and Game of War, which commanded nearly two hours of daily usage per user.

The analysis relies on proprietary usage metrics gathered from the iOS platform during the early stages of the game's release, a period during which the app surpassed 15 million total installs across the App Store and Google Play. By comparing these figures against a cross-section of social media and gaming applications, the findings illustrate the immediate, high-intensity impact of the title on consumer behavior. The data underscores the challenge for developers in maintaining such high levels of engagement over the long term, noting that the sustainability of this momentum depends on future content updates and user retention strategies.